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Battle with High Waters New Exhibition About Polish Citizens National Remembrance Day the First Year of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation

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Battle with High Waters New Exhibition About Polish Citizens National Remembrance Day the First Year of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation O Ś WIĘ CIM ISISSNSNN 11899-4407899-9 4407 PEOPLE CULTURE HISTORY BATTLE WITH HIGH WATERS NEW EXHIBITION ABOUT POLISH CITIZENS NATIONAL REMEMBRANCE DAY THE FIRST YEAR OF THE AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU FOUNDATION no. 18 June 2010 Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 18, June 2010 EDITORIAL BOARD: Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine EDITORIAL In the last month we watched with if the water had fl own through the ported to Auschwitz, which will also fear clouded sky and the rising level area of the former Auschwitz II-Birk- present the history of the camp from of rivers around Oświęcim. For the enau camp. Now it’s time for another a local perspective of Oświęcim. fi rst time in many years the Museum struggle—to strengthen and increase You will also fi nd in the magazine was closed to visitors and archives the barriers. Flood is the main theme a story about another seminar “His- and collections had to be moved onto in this issue of the magazine. tories in biographies” at the IYMC, higher levels. The real battle with wa- We write also about the events that whose hero was a former Ausch- Editor: ter took place at the site of Birkenau, took place during the National Day witz prisoner Tadeusz Smreczyński, Paweł Sawicki where water from a nearby river of Remembrance for Victims of Nazi and a story about a meeting in the Editorial secretary: Pławianka almost broke through Concentration Camps, which is on Centre for Dialogue and Prayer, dur- Agnieszka Juskowiak-Sawicka the barrier. Thanks to the efforts of June 14, the anniversary of the depor- ing which for the fi rst time in the Editorial board: hundreds of people—residents, fi re- tation to Auschwitz of the fi rst Polish history of this institution so much at- Bartosz Bartyzel fi ghters and mobilized staff of the political prisoners. We also publish tention was paid to Soviet totalitari- Wiktor Boberek Museum we were able to prevent the an archive material from the fi rst an- anism. Jarek Mensfelt Olga Onyszkiewicz tragedy. The world heritage site and niversary from 1945. In another article Paweł Sawicki Jadwiga Pinderska-Lech the village were saved. It is diffi cult to we describe the plans of a new exhibi- Editor-in-chief Artur Szyndler imagine what would have happened tion on the fate of Polish citizens de- [email protected] Columnist: Mirosław Ganobis Design and layout: Agnieszka Matuła, Grafi kon Translations: David R. Kennedy A GALLERY Proofreading: Beata Kłos OF THE 20TH CENTURY Photographer: Paweł Sawicki Encouraged by the „Oś” magazine to send stories connected with Oświęcim PUBLISHER: years ago, the streets, places or events from his- Auschwitz-Birkenau tory I send a handful of State Museum reflections about the first... gas station in the post- www.auschwitz.org.pl war town and its quite risky—considering today’s standards—location. The PARTNERS: place used by only a few those days was built at the Jewish very heart of the town, at Center the foot of the castle, op- www.ajcf.pl posite to the Haberfeld building so recklessly and culpably lost by the town. It was on the cross- Center for Dialogue roads of Dąbrowskiego and Prayer and Zamkowa streets. A Foundation gas station... maybe it did www.centrum-dialogu.oswiecim.pl not exactly fit the today’s definition of the word. One hand fuel dispenser, couple of barrels around, International Youth a red box of sand, shovel, Meeting Center pole... There were just a few cars in the town at that www.mdsm.pl time, and a lot of horse cars “fueled” with prov- ender. I passed that place IN COOPERATION quite often, walking to WITH: the Fish Square at the end of Zamkowa Street. After Kasztelania the Security Office was moved to Jagiełło Street www.kasztelania.pl our “court” shoemaker, Mr. Nowak, was chased there. After some time, the State Higher Vocational Schoolol petrol station was moved in Oświęcim behind the bridge, at the place of today’s station www.pwsz-oswiecim.pliecim pl opposite the building of music school, before it got Editorial address: its new headquarters at „Oś – Oświęcim, Ludzie, Wysokie Brzegi Street. Historia, Kultura” Państwowe Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau Andrzej Winogrodzki ul. Więźniów Oświęcimia 20 32-603 Oświęcim e-mail: [email protected] Photo: www.kasztelania.pl Photo from Mirosław Ganobis’s collection “A Gallery of the 20th Century” 151413121110987654321 Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 18, June 2010 Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum THE FIRST YEAR OF THE AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU FOUNDATION ledges to the Perpetual Fund created by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation already amount to €67 million. This is more than half the amount needed to ensure the fi nanc- ing of the long-term conservation plan for the grounds of the Memorial. The Founda- P Photo: Bartosz Bartyzel tion Council met for the second time at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister in Warsaw to Prof. Władysław Bartoszewski discuss plans for the immediate future, introduce needed changes to its statute, and pass a and Dr. Piotr M.A. Cywiński motion on the guidelines for investing the assets of the Fund. Established last year, the have already declared sup- France, Belgium, the United us. It is a place where people important element, more Foundation is tasked with port for the Foundation in States, and Great Britain,” see what National Socialism important than the profi ta- raising €120 million for the the amount of €60 million. said Foundation Director led to, and the condition at bility of the investment. This Fund. The resulting interest “After the signing of the General Jacek Kastelaniec. which humanity could ar- is the beginning of a very income will make it possi- contract, the fi rst payment Museum Director Piotr M.A. rive under the control of the important program. There ble to protect the remains of is planned for 2011. Aus- Cywiński, who is also Presi- Nazi thugs. This Founda- are also measures to ensure the Auschwitz Nazi German tria has pledged €6 mil- dent of the Foundation Man- tion is intended to secure transparency at the highest concentration camp and ex- lion. Smaller amounts have agement Board, said that the its existence in perpetu- level, and there is a whole termination center from the been paid by several other fi rst year’s hard work had ity, so that people can learn monitoring process,” said ravages of time. countries, and advanced already yielded very con- and be convinced of what Committee Chairman Józef The German federal govern- discussions are underway crete results. “The State Mu- humanity is capable of.” Wancer. The changes to the ment and the federal states with countries including seum must now prepare its Archbishop Józef Życiński, statute make the Financial conservation structures to the Metropolitan of Lub- Committee a formal part of absorb a regular income for lin, is of a similar opinion. the Foundation structure. carrying out its overall con- “I support this initiative The court with jurisdiction servation plan. I believe that wholeheartedly,” he said. “If over the Foundation must the fi rst contributions will we erased from history the still approve these changes. arrive in 2012, and that they memory of this tragedy in The work of the Foundation will rise signifi cantly year by which people infl icted such is supported on a pro bono year,” he said. an inhuman fate on others, basis by the law fi rm of Weil, On the idea of establishing it would be a kind of ampu- Gotschal & Manges and, for the Foundation, Noah Flug, tation that would open the tax matters, by the Ernst and chairman of the Center of door to the repetition in fu- Young consulting fi rm. The Organizations of Holocaust ture generations of the dan- Union of Jewish Religious Survivors, declared: “In the gers known from history.“ Communities in the Polish name of the former prison- The meeting approved Republic makes premises ers, I can say that the ex- guidelines for investing the available to the Foundation istence of Auschwitz as a assets of the Fund, as worked in the Jewish Community Museum, as an education out by the Council’s Finan- building in Warsaw. Photo: Bartosz Bartyzel center, and as a Memorial is cial Committee. “The secu- The Foundation Council exceptionally important for rity of the assets is the most Paweł Sawicki WOODEN BARRACKS IN THE HANDS OF A TEAM OF SPECIALISTS he conservation project is fi nanced by the European Union “Conservation of fi ve wooden barracks of the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau” is one of the most important conservation works at the State Museum TAuschwitz-Birkenau. At the moment, work is be- was chipping and falling off. was decided that the founda- project will include the con- wooden barracks of the for- ing performed on barracks Because of their uniqueness, tions would be made of pine. servation of two brick blocks mer Auschwitz II-Birkenau labeled with the numbers they were given special at- They were sealed just like at the Auschwitz I site. These started from work on bar- B-80 and B-171. The goal of tention. Also created were the walls and other wooden are two valuable brick pris- racks numbered B-80 and the conservation is to sta- new, more stable and du- elements. oner housing blocks, almost B-171 in September 2009. bilize the construction, but rable foundations made of Work will continue until Au- untouched since the moment They are continuously tak- also to protect the structures pine. gust of next year. The project the camps were liberated. ing place until today.
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